by Susan Harris on December 2, 2010
People are still steaming after hearing from a DC neighborhood blogger that the city of Washington, DC is sending tons of deaf leaves off to the landfill. First quoting from the Department of Public Works website, “Bagged leaves will be placed in the landfill,” the blogger goes on:
“The article continues to say that ‘DPW collects between 8,000 and 10,000 tons of leaves between November and January each year. Most of the leaves collected by vacuum trailers are composted and recycled. More than 4,500 tons of leaves collected during the 2009-2010 leaf collection season were composted.’”
A little math tells us that they’re sending from 3,500 to 5,500 TONS of deaf-leaf organic matter to the landfill every year. So the obvious question is: Why does the city pick up bagged leaves at all? Why don’t they just require residents to rake leaves to the curb for pick-up and transport to the compost facility? And why is the blogger’s message this rather meek modest one – aimed at the homeowners, not the Department of Public Works: “Stop sending leaves to the landfill. Stop asking people to sweep them and burn them. Stop wasting this gift!”
Well, this blogger’s message is also to D.C. residents, but it’s : Let your local representatives know about this waste of natural resources – and money – and suggest that they put an end to it.
Which reminds me, I recently summed up my own advice about What to do with your Dead Leaves, including a bit of ranting about what others are advising on the subject. I mentioned the rant over on GardenRant,, of course, and got lots of commenters riled up there, too. It’s simply amazing what a hot topic dead leaves are – who’da thunk?
Photo credit.
by Susan Harris on October 15, 2010
Over 5,000 bloggers around the world – including one White House blogger – are observing Blog Action Day today by focusing attention on a subject in need of lots more attention – water. It’s hard for Save the Ocean appeals to compete with Save the Baby Anything messages, though the closer to home the body of water is, the more attention it gets. So fortunately, Save the “Chesapeake Bay” IS a popular message, and the current leadership in Annapolis and the White House have made great progress in reducing pollution. (And Marylanders who care about the Bay, don’t forget to VOTE Nov. 2!)
Water in the Landscape
But let’s get on-topic, shall we? Probably THE most important environmental responsibility we have as landowners and gardeners have to do with water – conserving it as a resource, and making sure the rainwater landing on our property percolates down and is cleaned before it ends up in our waters. So there’s lots to cover, including topics like how to water efficiently and principles of xeriscaping, which are covered here so I won’t repeat them. I’ll just recommend two interesting links about water in our gardens:
- I like the “Wise Lawn Care Prevents Water Pollution” hand-out distributed by the city of Alexandria, VA. Most people believe that avoiding pesticides is all they need to do to protect waterways, so information like this that emphasizes wise fertilization practices is essential. This brochure tells us to “Fertilize in the fall if at all!”
- A measure is being considered in New Jersey that would severely restrict the polluting nutrients nitrogen and phosphates in lawn fertilizers, and I recommend Tom Christopher’s account on Huffington Post. He notes that Scotts MiracleGro and TruGreen are fighting the measure, as are some who fear their properties values will decline if their lawns are less green. But Tom suggests that the solution to make everyone happy (except the aforementioned behemoths of the lawn industry) is to switch to the less resource-intensive fine fescue mixes that are being tested by Rutgers (see Now-Mow Lawn and Eco-Lawn.) Tom’s also a member of the Lawn Reform Coalition.
More about Scotts
But enough about water; I thought I’d look more closely at the company fighting these clean-water measures. You know, the company that spends $100 million a year on advertising, much of it telling us to “green-up” our lawns in the spring, the worst possible time for our waterways. Thanks to Paul Tukey at SafeLawns, I found some interesting corporate research:
The Scotts Company is the world’s leading supplier and marketer of consumer products for do-it-yourself lawn and garden care. It also supplies a range of products for professional horticulture. Scotts owns the leading brands in every major category in virtually all of the countries where it has a significant presence.
Scotts enjoys a de facto monopoly on lawn care and garden products in the US. In the year ending September 2002, the company enjoyed a market share of 52%, controlling 62% of the consumer market for lawn fertilizers, 59% of the market for growing media/plant food, 43% of the market for grass seed and 41% of the market for controls (i.e. herbicides and pesticides). In addition, Scotts LawnService has now become the 2nd largest competitor in the American lawn service industry.
In 2002 the company’s market share, for lawn care and garden products, in Europe was approximately 25 percent. The company also has a presence in Australia, the Far East, Latin America and South America.
Scotts relies heavily on advertising to create demand for its products. According to the company’s annual report, Scotts’ brands are supported by an annual investment of approximately $100 million in advertising. In the US nearly 4 out of 5 advertising messages in the lawn and garden industry come from Scotts. For 2003, Scotts plans to increase its media spending by another 20%.
There’s more about Scotts here on Corporate Watch – their record on work conditions and environmental issues. I think this bigger picture helps us better understand the Scotts “sustainability” efforts, including their alarmingly successful outreach to (and feeding of) garden writers.
by Susan Harris on April 6, 2010
You’ll find an interview with USDA’s Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan in today’s Washington Post, and the print version includes a photo of the good secretary looking like, well, a high-ranking office worker. But the real gardener turned up for the big press opening of the USDA’s People’s Garden – dressed like she was ready to plant, which she proceeded to do.
The meat of the WaPo interview covers enforcement of organic rules and what kind of backlog she inherited after 8 years of, as she says as diplomatically as possible, it not being a “high priority’. You could say that.
But to really meet Kathleen Merrigan - what makes her so qualified and why her appointment gave such hope to advocates of sustainable food production – - click here for the rundown on her by Who Runs Gov.
by Susan Harris on February 8, 2010
Blog edition. The whole newsletter is right here.
Sustainable Gardening on the Web
Sustainable Gardening on the Web
- The latest Lawn Reform Update is packed with news about lawns and global warming, golf managers trying to go green, the Lawn Reform Coalition in the news, lawn-free make-overs, and more.
Winter Sanity-Savers
In the Garden
- Winter’s the perfect time to catch up on garden recordkeeping.
- That’s all I’ve got – unless you count snow sagas, of which I have my share.
by Susan Harris on January 9, 2010
Blog edition. The whole newsletter is here.
Urban Gardening on the Web
Sustainable Gardening on the Web
My So-Called Second Career
I’m pretty excited about the garden-related trips I’ll be taking this year. First to Long Island to visit Suzy Bales with a day trip to the NY Botanic Garden in the spring. And I wouldn’t miss the super-fun Blogger Meet-up in Buffalo. Then the GardenRanters are talking to garden centers at their shinding in Chicago. I’m also pondering a trip to the Boston area, and still undecided on going to Dallas for the Garden Writers conference.
Round-ups are Fun
In the Garden.jpg)
Before/after clearing snow from an ‘Ogon’ spirea.
by Susan Harris on December 7, 2009
Blog version. The whole newsletter is right here.
Photo right: the documentary “A Chemical Reaction” – about the anti-lawn-pesticide campaign in Canada – won the Independent Spirit Award at the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival. Pictured are Paul Tukey and filmmaker Brett Plymale. Here’s a team review by the Lawn Reform Coalition.
In the News
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France’s highest court has ruled that US agrochemical giant Monsanto did not told the truth about the safety of its best-selling weed-killer, Roundup, falsely claiming it’s “biodegradable” and “left the soil clean”. Monsanto lies? Who knew? Here’s the story by the BBC.
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San Francisco’s mandatory composting law is now in effect – support is mixed.
Urban Gardening on the Web
Sustainable Gardening on the Web
by Susan Harris on November 7, 2009
Blog edition. The whole newsletter is right here.
Urban Gardening on the Web
Sustainable Gardening on the Web
Spotted in a Garden Center
Here’s a close-up of one of the zillion Christmas trees at Homestead Gardens right now. Notice that it’s bipartisan, with White House ornaments representing both the Obama and Reagan administrations. Hmm, wonder what happened to the old Dubya ornaments.
by Susan Harris on October 29, 2009
People are asking about this new product, especially if they’re garden writers finding free bottles at their doorstep. So hey, the makers of FreezePruf are sponsors of this very blog (and website and newsletter) so I took it upon myself to interview the botanist who developed FreezePruf, and the full report is over here on the blog I get paid to write.
by Susan Harris on October 15, 2009
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Well, the topic for Blog Action Day this year is one I’ve written about in many articles and here are just a couple (with more assembled on GardenRant):
And here are some great articles about climate change and gardening by others:
For gardeners, climate change means changes we need to make, like:
- Switching to more drought-tolerant plants. Especially that thirsty lawn.
- Adding organic matter to make our soil better able to hold water.
- Choosing plants that can tolerate variability in temperature and precipitation.
- Letting our lawns go dormant when there’s insufficient rain. (Brown is the new green.)
- Catching rainwater for use in the garden.
- Planting shade trees on the sunny side of the house.
Basically the way we should be gardening anyway.
by Susan Harris on October 6, 2009
Blog Version. The whole newsletter, with sidebar, is right here.
In Your Garden Now
- Here’s What to do with your Leaves, including a plug for leafmold, and Lee Reich loves leafmold, too.
- And October really is the best time to plant trees, shrubs and (most) perennials here in Zone 7.
On GardenRant
In My Garden
- Ew, that’s ugly! But the chain-link fence around my front yard is GONE at last, and the English ivy hiding it, too. Sorry I can’t show you the new fence yet, but even this is almost too much excitement for me. Not kidding.
- In plant news, I brought back some yummy freebies from the garden writers “swagathon”: ‘Blue Chip’ Buddleias, ‘Kaleidescope’ Abelias, ajugas (no label), dwarf crapemyrtles ‘Berry Dazzle’ and ‘Sweetheart Dazzle’, and some ‘Heavenly Scent’ gardenias. Plus Cowpots and a big bottle of Liquid Fence for my new deer problem (about which I’m trying not to whine too much.)
